Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-08-18
PREPARING PASTURES.
SuSgestions ON Impr0ving and Aakia
Additions t. Them.

A pasture can not be brought up to
its best possible condition in one sea-
son or in a decade. 1t takes time to
introduce the best grasses and to es-
tablish firm and productive soil that
will not break beneath the feet of cat
tie. Attention is constantly required
to prevent the spread of weeds and
bushes and to keep the most valuable
plants from running out The charac-
ter of the soil in the different portions
of the tract that is to be devoted to
pasture purposes must be carefully
studied to ascertain which kind of
grasses and clovers are best suited to
them. White clover will thrive well
on land that is quite dry. we'll drained
and supplied with lime. Alsike, or
Swedish clover. on the contrary. does
poorly on land that is high and dry,
but makes luxuriant growth on moist
soils. Red-top is an excellent pasture
grass if raised on land that is quite
moist. The stalk will be tender ard
the foliage plentiful and sweet. If the
same grass is raised on poor land that
is high and dry, the stalks, except in
the early part of the season. will be
hard and why and the foliage scanty.
Bluegrass will thrive on dry and on
tolerably moist soils. providing they
are well supplied with lime.
The sod of pasture can be improved
and the grass made to grow thicker by
cutting the stalks with machine after
they have become quite tall. The
flower stalks will not be eaten by cattle
while they are green but they will
make very fair hay. Fine grasses are
desired for grazing purposes. and the
thicker they grow the finer they will
be. When the plants are close together
they suffer less from a drought than
they do when they are scattered. A
thick growth of fine grass will keep
the ground covered and prevent the
rapid evaporation of moisture. 1t
will also cause large deposite of
dew. Timothy is in many respects Il
good pasture grass. but it does not re-
main in the soil long enough or grow
sufficiently thick to form a good sod by
itself. 1t is best to SOW red-top blue
grass or other fine grasses with it.
These will occupy the spaces between
the timothy plants and spread and
cover the entire surface of the ground
as the timothy disappears. The surface
of pasture should be examined from
time to time for the purpose of seeing
where grass seed should be scattered
and raking in at the proper season.
1t is ordinarily the case that more
stock is kept on farm year by year
as the place is improved and the
owner becomes possessed of larger
means. As consequence. more room
is wanted for pasturage. A pasture
can often be enlarged by degrees to
most excellent advantage. Wire,
which is not generally used for max
ing pasture fences, is easily detached
from its supports and moved to new
ones. Trees, set on line from six
teen to twenty feet apart, can be used
in the place of posts. They are cheap
ly and quickly raised to size that
will support fence wire on most
prairie soils. As the wire is removed
from one row for the purpose of en-
larging the pasture, the trees should
be allowed to remain to afford shade.
Each strip of land that is added to the
pasture should be sown to different
kind of grass or to different mkt
urc. in order to afford variety of
feed. A strip sown to orchard grass
would afford large amount of feed
early in the spring, and animals will
Craze on this part of the pasture at
the time when buckwheat or late grass
need an opportunity to grow.
The supply of water for pasture
should receive attention as much as
the supply of food. One watering
place for stock is not enough for d,
pasture containing quarter section or
more of land. 1t is not well to have =
large number of animals crowding
about one place to drink. Cattle and
horses are reluctant to go long dis
lance to obtain water during very
warm weather. They will often suffer
with thirst rather than walk half \
mile to obtain water. 1t costs but lit
tie to convey part of the water fur
nished by we'll or spring forty or even
eighty rods. 1t can be carried in metal
or wooden pipe. and sometimes can he
conducted in a shallow ditch. What
ever promotes the comfort of animals
in the pasture adds to the amount of
flesh. fat, milk and wool they will pro-
tuce. If cattle are obliged to 60 long
distance for water. they will not
drink az often as their needs require,
and they will be likely to drink too
much ut a time. They will then per-
spire very freely and be in an uncom-
Portable condition for several hours
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